Ethanol has been shown to affect multiple neurotransmitter systems during early development as well as adulthood. Most studies to date have not focused on adolescent animals but have been conducted during the early postnatal period (Druse, 1992; Light, Serbus & Santiago, 1989; Martin, Savage & Swartzwelder, 1992; Savage et al., 1991) or in older, mature animals (see Hunt, 1985, for review). Therefore it is our aim to investigate the behavioral effects of alcohol during adolescence and to determine how alcohol’s effects on mesolimbic DA within adolescence is critical in addressing the long-term effects of early exposure to alcohol. For these reasons our work has examined the effects of alcohol exposure during the adolescent transition period from PND 30–50.
